Aircraft often include several different, or discrete, components and/or sub-assemblies that may be separately manufactured and subsequently combined during assembly of the aircraft. Each of these sub-assemblies may be manufactured at different locations (geographically and/or within a given manufacturing facility) to specified manufacturing tolerances. Often, these sub-assemblies may be quite large, and assembly of the sub-assemblies to construct the aircraft many present unique manufacturing challenges.
As an illustrative, non-exclusive example, a fuselage barrel of an aircraft may include a tubular outer skin and a frame assembly. In the assembled fuselage barrel, the frame assembly may be located within an inner volume that is defined by the tubular outer skin and may provide mechanical support for the tubular outer skin. Because of the size and complexity of the fuselage barrel, assembly thereof may be a time-consuming, complex, and/or expensive process. For example, after formation of the tubular outer skin, various components of the frame assembly may be located and combined, piece-by-piece, within the inner volume. Thus, there exists a need for improved systems and methods for assembling a structurally reinforced composite structure, such as a fuselage barrel of an aircraft.